Resurrection
by AnnaCromwell
Summary: The Berserker tragedy struck; Artemis playing his final card, which saved one world, but destroyed another; his world. But Irish luck strikes again and the genius is back, his girlfriend stopping at nothing to bring him back. But the Artemis of old is gone and so are the memories. Will Annabeth Cromwell succeed in bringing her love back, or will she end up losing it all?
1. Tell Me A Lie

"NO!" Angeline Fowl screamed. It could not be. Her eldest son, Artemis Fowl II had died, and Angeline was unable to believe it. In rage and disbelief, she picked up a vase and threw it at her husband and Butler, who'd brought her the horrible news. The men ducked and the vase shattered to a million shards of crystal above them. Juliet came in, saying, "Minerva and Annabeth are here." At that, Artemis Fowl Senior and Butler paled. Minerva was his (Artemis') best friend and Annabeth Cromwell, his girlfriend. He meant the world to Annabeth. The two had met at the Nobel ceremony, and ever since, they'd grown so close that Artemis that Artemis took her to the Eiffel Tower and professed his love to her. Since then they never looked back.

"Annabeth, I have something important to tell you," Juliet said.  
"What is it?" she said, working on Artemis' MacBook.  
"It's Artemis," she said, and instantly Annabeth looked up, alert.  
"What?"  
"Its, he's-he-he," Juliet stuttered.  
"What? What happened to him?" she demanded, standing up.  
"Its that-"  
"What, Juliet?" the young girl asked, getting impatient, shaking Juliet by the shoulders, who was quaking now.  
"He's no more," Juliet whispered, and the words had an instant effect on the dark-haired Irish girl in front of her.  
"No, it can't be. He's not dead," she said, voice hollow, gripping the table for support.  
"Annabeth, I know this is hard to digest, but-" "Did you not hear what I said? He. Is. Not. Dead," she said, her voice forceful but shaky.  
"Annabeth, please-" and before Juliet could say anything more, Annabeth collapsed. She did not have any exaggerated show of grief, but sat down with her head in her hands and quietly cried. She knew that Artemis had stepped into the land of no return when he'd decided to stop Opal and the Berserkers personally, but she never tried to stop him. After all, the fairy world meant as much to her as it did to him. Today the unthinkable came true, but she refused to accept it. His parents were standing & looking at Annabeth with pure remorse and understanding for her. She was like their daughter to them.

"Where is his grave?" she asked, knowing that they would've buried him instantaneously for the sake of Mrs. Fowl's sanity.  
"Annabeth, this is not the right time," Mrs. Fowl said, scared to tell her they had not found his body, but she simply asked again.  
"Where is it? I demand to know," she said and stood by the window, scanning for it. She saw a bed of roses never seen before, a bright orange and started for the door. The others tried to stop her, but in vain. She was already running to that spot. She remembered his words -

"Annabeth, if I ever die, look for a letter in the roses the colour of the sun."

She'd scolded him endlessly for that, but now she understood. She ran to the bed, and then started a frantic search for the letter. A glint of white was present in the sea of orange, and she picked up the envelope and tore it open. This was no time for any sort of niceties. There was a message written -

Look for the love of your life in the code of eternity.

My salvation lies in those obscure verses of creation,

the verses which you have deciphered, my gentle queen.

A gentle kiss, a parting gift, a hunter's existence,

lies in the ivory silk stretched upon a structure of fragile glass

Whose visage is the key to rebirth.

_Cerca trova, _the soul demands, to start over again,

I bid you goodbye, only to see you again.

But hurry, for life is short, and days a tenth less than two hundred,

will pass like the flow of water.

The days holding the key to your beloved's existence,

the only chance at life.

I hope you found this the day the roses bloomed,

the day a life ended, for the other begins then.

Don't cry for me, for time will pass in those tears,

time that I don't possess. And remember,

Love is eternal, and my love for you will be forever.

Annabeth could not help but cry. There was something else enclosed along with it too -

I dreamed I was missing  
You were so scared  
But no one would listen  
Because no one else cared

After my dreaming  
I woke with this fear  
What am I leaving  
When I'm done here?

So if you're asking me  
I want you to know

When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some  
Reasons to be missed  
And don't resent me  
And when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory  
Leave out all the rest

Don't be afraid  
I've taken my beating  
I've shared what I've made  
I'm strong on the surface  
Not all the way through  
I've never been perfect  
But neither have you

When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some  
Reasons to be missed  
Don't resent me  
And when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory  
Leave out all the rest

Forgetting all the hurt inside  
You've learned to hide so well  
Pretending someone else can come  
And save me from myself  
I can't be who you are

Annabeth clutched the letter and cried. How could he? She looked at the words written on the sheet of paper, which eerily smelt of watercress amongst the roses. His smell, she thought. Artemis was a user of watercress gel, something she had discovered on her first kiss with him at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The ink looked fresh & the black letters striking in the white background. She read his words and remembered all the moments spent with him. Their first meeting, the visits to each other, the endless joint ventures & projects, their first kiss, which was **_t_****_heir_** first kiss **_ever, _**his warm embrace, the nights he took care of her when she fell gravely ill, his pale face watching over her like an angel, worried for her. He refused to let anybody **_touch_** her, forget treat her. He wrote the diagnosis, did the tests, prescribed the medicine required and took care of her all the time. He refused her parents' entry for they might 'transmit any other disease', but in reality, he was overprotective & highly possessive. He used to stay up all night and slept once in 3 days. Her blood pressure had dropped dangerously low, and he had nearly lost all his grip on his own self that time. He'd been pacing all night, an eye always on the heartbeat monitor, and did not rest till he saw it reach normalcy. He did nothing during the day except sit by her bedside and keep an eye on the vitals, or stroke her hair with one hand, the other holding one of hers. He had cried a lot during the days she had shown absolutely no response to any medication, for the pathogen was a strong one, and it was hard to get him back to his steely self then. His parents were worried for their son's health, and her's for his sanity, for if anyone mentioned someone else to supervise her, he would immediately retort with this -

"What makes you think so? Am I failing to take care in any manner? And would anyone else, for that manner, pay attention to every small detail like me? There is no need. No one needs to take care of Annabeth as long as I'm there."

When she regained complete consciousness, he was beside himself. It was 10 in the night, and he had been holding her hand and crying when she said "How dare you". She was looking at him sternly and said, "How dare you shed tears over me. I'm alive, not dead." He laughed slightly, then bent down and kissed her forehead & said, "Welcome back, my love." Butler had heard voices, and more importantly, laughter from her room. He rushed to see the two engaged in a conversation, and she was scolding him playfully. Artemis was holding one of her hands and looking intently in her eyes.

"You stupid boy. What was the need to act like a lunatic, a crazed Romeo in front of Holly then? What impression must she have of you?" she said, her thin, worn face alive with a mischievous smile. Annabeth had lost a lot of weight during all that time, and her face looked flushed and had lost a lot of its glow.  
"Does it matter? Anyways, it wasn't me, it was Orion," he replied, smiling for the first time in 21 days. He too, had lost a lot of weight, and had deep circles beneath his eyes. His face was thin and flushed, the eyes had almost lost their brilliance and his face looked extremely worn out.  
"So what? Orion is a part of you. He's your alter ego. I shudder to think what would happen if me and Orion went on a date. 'Tell me, how I love thee?' Frond, I would die of embarrassment!"  
"He is boorish, we all know that."  
"He's a medieval idotic simple-toon Artemis. Where is Minerva and everybody else, by the way?" she asked.  
"Here," a voice said from the doorway. It was Minerva, as well as everyone else at the door. "How are all of you?" Annabeth asked.  
"Glad to see you awake, my girl," her mother Anastasia said.  
"We've not heard this voice for a long time," her father Alexander Cromwell added. Alexander was the chief of Interpol, and she was his only daughter.  
"Yeah, it's been a very long time we've seen these grey eyes and its beholder awake and in action," Holly said.  
"How long have I been unconscious and ill?" she asked Artemis, who, till then, had been holding a finger to his lips and simply replied, "A long time. Long for us for I and the others hadn't seen this face awake. Now it does not matter. One must not think of bad experiences, shall we, my love?" Minerva quietly muttered, 'Romeo'. Annabeth, unfortunately, heard it, and, glaring at Minerva, said, "Well, if extreme concern is mistaken for exaggeration, then one can't help it." Minerva pulled her ear and mouthed 'sorry', and Annabeth laughed. "Stupid girl," she said. Artemis began to get up and leave, citing work obligations, when Annabeth caught his wrist.

"You are not going anywhere. Not when I'm awake," she said, and he immediately returned to his seat. The others left for the sake of privacy. Artemis and Annabeth sat in silence, Artemis gazing intently at her.

"Come here," she said. Artemis leaned forward. She extended a hand to touch his face. "How good it feels to touch you again, and see your face. Did you miss me?"  
"More than anything," he replied. She sat upright with his help, being too weak to do so herself without support.  
"Come here," she said again. He sat closer. "Close your eyes," she told him, and when he'd closed his eyes, leaned forward and kissed him. "I've missed you so much," she said. "Me too, Annabeth," he said, then made her lie down again. "You need rest. Sleep now," he said, seeing she was having trouble keeping her eyes open for long. She promptly fell asleep, and Artemis, feeling sleepy himself, fell asleep sitting beside her, holding her hand. Angeline and Anastasia came to check on the two and saw that their children were soundly asleep, and Artemis' was devoid of any worry for the first time in 21 days. The mothers exchanged a satisfied smile, then went back. She remembered the incident and dissolved into tears. The very Artemis she was thinking of was gone. The last line reminded her of what she'd told him that day. "Love is eternal, and my love will be forever," she had said. Her love had left her. Annabeth felt like she'd lost the reason to live. She headed back to her room in shock, the letter tightly clutched in her hand. By the time she reached, Holly was there too, and was scared seeing Annabeth's condition, for Annabeth looked like she had died. She went straight to her room and sat down on her bed, crying bitterly, not even bothering to lock the door. She looked at the letter again.

'Look for the love of your life in the code of eternity,' it said. The code of eternity? Artemis had made an Eternity Code, but it did not mean that. She read ahead. 'My salvation lies in those obscure verses of creation, verses which you have deciphered, my gentle queen,' it read. Verses of creation? she thought. DNA, that meant. She had won the Nobel prize for individually deciphering a genome sequence & a complete gene code of herself. _**His gentle queen**_, she thought and cried again, but she read on. 'A gentle kiss, a parting gift, a hunter's existence, lies in the ivory silk stretched upon a structure of fragile glass, Whose visage is the key to rebirth,' it went. A gentle kiss, a parting gift; what could it be? **_His DNA, _**she then realised. Artemis kissed her on her forehead before he left. The kiss would nonetheless have his DNA. **_He wants me to use the DNA and clone him. _**Ivory silk and fragile glass was a clear reference to her, for he would often say that she was made of fragile glass. 'Cerca trova' meant 'seek and find' in Italian. She rushed to his study, where Foaly was there along with Holly & Trouble, as well as Minerva. Without a word, she switched on his iMac and searched the system for a file titled 'Clones'. The search gave a huge file in the results. She surfed the file's contents and found what she looked for - his article on successful human cloning. She went through the article & like her old self; cold, calm and composed, asked Foaly -

"How long can a soul with traces of magic last?"  
"Annabeth, what are you asking! Are you all right?" he asked, shocked.  
"Just give me the answer."  
"By mathematical calculations, maximum of 8 months," he replied. "180 days," she murmured. Days a tenth less than two hundred. "He did the most precise, then put the calculated days down on paper. Minerva, did Artemis pass away today?" she asked her cousin.  
"Yes," Minerva replied, scared that her sister had gone insane.  
"Good. I have 6 months to save his life. Foaly, go to his lab and start the electron microscope. We need to get my forehead under the microscope." She said, then mustered a notepad and pen and began frantically writing something down. I will bring you back, Artemis, she thought.

**_I will bring you back._**


	2. A Painful Meeting

After Artemis' plan had been deciphered, they headed to get the samples of his DNA under a microscope.

"Hmm, seems like Annabeth here is right. He's left enough DNA to construct an army here. The job will be done in 5-7 months," Foaly said.

"It better be," Annabeth said. "What all is required?"

"Don't worry for the clone; we'll do that down here at Haven. What we need are his memories," he said.

"He must be having them on his disk. He always prepares in advance and prepares for all situations."

"Fine. The rest will be done. Let's hope we get the Artemis we need back."

"Yes; the last thing we want is Orion Fowl in place of Artemis. Please, I can't stand that medieval fool," she said.

"Seriously; tell me, how do I love thee?' Holly mimicked. Annabeth smiled and looked around, then remembered that he was not there with them. Sadness filled the grey eyes again, their sparkle lost in the gloom of his death. The smile went away, and so did she.

"I need to go and get those files," she said and left. "I shouldn't have said that," Holly said.

"I undertsand; the situation is so delicate, and she's trying not to lose hope and keep her composure at a time when all she could've done is bury her head in her hands and weep," Foaly replied. "But then, she's Artemis Fowl's girlfriend, and she is every bit of him. The same intellect, the same devious brain, the same courage and mettle, the same iron will, the same intellect, the irrational attachment to the other; if he had met her a couple of years before, these two would've shaken the foundations of science and been the very example of genius. Einstein would've become obsolete."

"True, Foaly, but what is more endearing is their faith in each other. He'd entrusted her with his life and was sure that no matter what, she would resurrect him and a new life would begin for him definitely, because he knew that's what he would do in that situation. She knew that even if he died, he'd never die without a backup plan. I can see what drives her to this project is not just her unparallelled love, but her unwavering trust and faith in that boy. I always thought that the notion of eternity of love was dumb and pathetic, but it isn't. These two, despite their personality, believe in the fact that love is eternal, and true love never dies," Holly said.

"Holly, this is the emotion that changes even the toughest and coldest of humans, people like Artemis and Annabeth, who'd never seen beyond their benefit," said Foaly.

"Let's hope Annabeth succeeds in her endeavour."

"She will. If not for us, then for herself." With that Foaly left for Haven. Holly stayed back, fearing that Annabeth might slip out of control, like Angeline Fowl had, but she showed no such signs. Holly stayed till the night, then, seeing that the young lady needed time alone, left.

6 Months Later...

Six months had passed by, each passing day making Annabeth like her old self. Her eyes had lost their sparkle, but their grim determination was always there. Often, in the night, she sat alone and cried, longing for Artemis and his company, but she remembered his words, and, when his death had been two weeks old, took over as the CEO of Fowl Industries, the post he had held when alive. She toggled between business meetings, charity work and the task of preparing the clone, along with a lot of incomplete scientific projects. Her life had become a to-do list, with no time for herself. Artemis' parents often asked whether she ever took out time for herself, to which she replied -

"I do; everyday; preparing his new self is how I take out time for myself, for whatever I used to do for myself was always a shared experience with him. I have none to share it with, so I'm getting back the person who's missing out on this." For her, her home was Fowl Manor now; she felt like she belonged there.

Tonight was the night they all had waited for. Artemis' clone, after being revived, had been brought back. He possessed the most basic of his memories, but not the finer details. He was given the disk he had prepared, which contained every detail of his eventful life, save one. One key detail.

Annabeth.

Artemis had not put in his memories of Annabeth on the disk, fearing that he may never be able to do justice to her. Besides, Annabeth had not left him, so he expected that she would revive all the memories of them together. The new Artemis may have not remembered a lot of his later memories, but he had some of hers in his brain. I hope he remembers us, Holly prayed.

When he first spoke, their was no indication of that, but eight hours in his study daily with the original Artemis speaking to him & he'd become as good as old. He recognised all of them and greeted all with a warmth he possessed when he turned over a new leaf, but his eyes were wandering. Every morning for two weeks, his eyes wandered like a restless spirit, never resting on one thing for long. He was constantly looking for someone, a someone he felt was dear to him, someone who held all the answers.

On the other hand, Annabeth had lost all hope. The body may be a clone, but it didn't possess all his memories and would certainly not possess hers, for they had barely met a year back. She was not present when he awoke, and not even there when he was being checked for consistency. She avoided him for fortnight like a child avoiding a dark haunted room, scared that she may lose control and behave like she did with the Artemis of old, who would take her in his arms if he ever saw her upset or even perturbed. He looked on, often wandering around the house during the day when he was free and had nothing to do. He was doing the same that evening; roaming around the hall, family in France, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Looking for someone?" Holly asked him.

"Yes, Holly. Where is she?" he asked, looking for Annabeth.

"Who, Artemis? All of us are here," she replied, pushing him further so as to check whether he really remembered.

"The young lady named Annabeth. Annabeth Cromwell. Where is she? I have a feeling that she knows something this disk doesn't possess. I need to see her."

"Annabeth Cromwell? What more do you remember of this person?" Artemis, sensing that Holly was checking whether he really remembered, tried hard to recollect.

"She has dark raven hair, reaching her elbows, a thin, angular face, pale white skin like mine and stunning grey eyes. She's extremely beautiful, Holly, isn't she like that?" he replied after thinking for quite a while, a hazy but fairly clear image in his mind.

"Yes, Artemis. Do you remember how you know her?"

"I don't. That's the problem, for I remember that she's very important to us, to me, in particular, but I can't understand why," he replied, face crestfallen.

"You saw her?"

"No; I've been looking, for I know that she has all the answers to ny questions. She knows everything," he said. "She means a lot to me."

"Let's hope you find her," she said.

"I have too; she's someone I miss terribly, even though I don't know why," he said, then went back to his room. Dinner came and went and Artemis roamed around the Manor at midnight. Annabeth too was out on a walk, having finished a call a few minutes back. Her mind was on Artemis, thinking of the moments the two had spent. A great night in Stockholm, when they had gone to recieve the Nobel Prize, Artemis in chemistry and Annabeth in Medicine. She remembered the day Artemis professed of his love for her at the Eiffel Tower. His hesitant face, hoping for her to say yes, the happiness on hearing that, the nights they spent just talking on the phone, the days and nights spent working on projects and deals, and how much they'd enjoyed them. The concern for her when she'd developed mild fever, which had changed into an illness far more deadly. Every action reminded her of how much she missed him.

She was walking past the library door, the corridor pitch dark, moonlight only source of illumination when she collided with a person walking past, who happened to be none other than Artemis. She almost slipped when he caught her hand, the other arm in an effort to catch her. He succeeded, his hand holding hers, the other behind her back, stopping their fall. He looked at her face, those grey eyes confused at first, then a sadness drowning their momentary sparkle. His eyes registered the face's most striking feature, the eyes as those of the person who knew all he wanted to. He tried to remember who she could possibly be, but reality brought him back and he steadied her straight, a bizarre thought having just crossed his mind. He thought he was in a tight embrace with the young lady in his arms, a hand running through her hair. He thought it was just the hormones acting, the truth being the fact that she was the person he'd loved the most, someone for whom he could die and give everything he had.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he replied, the thought playing around. Then intellect kicked in. Truth is best taken when the person is caught unawares, he thought and extended a hand. "Annabeth Cromwell, are you not?" he said, waiting for an answer. Surprise and fear registered on her face, which he took for an unspoken yes.

"Yes," she replied, having finally given up. She was trying to restrain herself from burying her face in his shirt, arms around him, crying her soul out. She had done that whenever something overcame her, and he never failed to provide a solution.

"I know you very well. Who are you, and what do you know about me?" he asked, eyes looking with expectation.

"You knew me very well, Artemis. Better than I knew myself," she mumbled. He heard it, yet asked her to see if it was something she was willing to share.

"Sorry? I didn't get you," he asked.

"I knew you as a friend. A good friend," she said loudly. Her face was sad, and she seemed like she had lost someone very, very dear to her. He wanted to know the cause of her grief, wanted to know why she seemed so distant; he didn't like the expression on her face, it seemed wrong. She should be smiling, not be on the verge of tears. This wasn't how she looked like. At least not in his hazy, fuzzy memories.

"So, Annabeth, would you mind telling me something about yourself?" he asked gently. He didn't want to hurt her in any way.

"I'm Annabeth Cromwell, daughter of the Chief of Interpol, Alexander Cromwell. My mother is Anastasia Cromwell, the multi-billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist. I've won a Nobel Prize," she said, sounding distant. Annabeth was remembering those days when the two were working away on their projects. I miss those days; Artemis and I had also won a Nobel together, but that doesn't matter. He won't remember, she thought.

"Correction," he said. "You've won two Nobel Prizes. One in Medicine, which was your own, and the other in Physics, which was a joint effort from the two of us. I remember that, Annabeth. Please tell me more," he said. Annabeth was shocked. He remembered? Then there is hope, she thought.

"You do?" she said, hope registering on her face.

"Yes. I need someone to refresh those memories. I think you can do that."

"I will," she whispered, and then went on to talk to him more. "So, what more are you missing?"

"Well, quite a lot. I'm missing the period between this and the time we met."

"What do you remember of the latter?"

"Well, I remember you leading me on quite a goose chase when we met at the Stockholm City Hall. I was intrigued by the person who deprived me of a Nobel & the chance to make history and looked quite a great deal for you. Then when the banquet was underway and they called for the Laureates, I met you. What had followed was a long conversation and an extremely enjoyable and memorable night. I remember every moment with amazing clarity. You were wearing a white crepe dress with white ballet flats, all from Armani, were you not?"

"Yes. I must say the memory isn't fazed in the least. It was exactly as you described. Funny you forgot everything between this and present," she said, sadness filling her face again.

"Could you come to the piano room?" he asked her.

"Of course," she replied, puzzled. They reached the room and he began playing the first few chords of a melody she had composed. Queer, she thought.

"You composed this?" he asked, a burning intensity in his eyes.

"Why, yes," she replied. Artemis heaved a sigh of relief, his face stretching in a big smile.

"I'm getting it all back," he murmured, too low for her ears to catch, but she understood, since she could lip-read. "Annabeth, what did I just say?"

"What?" she asked him, confused.

"What did I just say?" he asked calmly.

"You said that you're getting it all back," she replied.

"Brava!" he replied. "I remember now that you can lip-read, so I decided to test your abilities and my memories. Needless to say, I'm getting them back. And it is only because we met today by accident. Wish we had met before," he whispered the last line.

"So you wish for me to help you get your memories back?"

"Of course. We need to go through this again, everyday. This is the only way I get back my memories, especially yours. I feel hollow without those." He then began to play the first notes of 'Moonlight Refrain', a melody the two had composed and released under the title of a lost Beethoven rendition. It had gone viral, with expert opinions saying that itwas Beethoven himself. However, an anonymous source floated a conspiracy theory that this masterpiece was composed by the people who released it, i.e. Artemis and Annabeth. The anonymous source was Minerva. He played on, getting more and more immersed into the melody, the sound emanating from the room like a phantom call. Holly heard the sound and came down to see who it was, surprised to see Artemis playing away, Annabeth by his side, filling in the lost notes, though they were few and far in between. He remembered it as if he had just composed it seconds back. While Annabeth looked at the keyboard while playing, Artemis had his eyes fixated on her, his fingers flitting across the keyboard, occasionally colliding with hers on the same notes. Whenever she touched his fingers, he felt a current run through him, and his heart lurched out for more, as if those fingers belonged in his, entwined with his. She was simply living through the moment they composed it, the memory never breaking. Holly looked at the pair, wondering how Annabeth took it all with ease. It must be painful for the girl to sit with the love of her life, him not remembering the fact, still she never lost composure, an extremely controlled person in all aspects.

While Holly thought over the issue, sitting under an oak tree in the Manor grounds, Artemis was still playing. He asked her if they could play a medley he remembered the two had composed. While they played, their hands almost overlapped each others at a point, and Artemis, seizing the moment, gently put his hand on hers, his mind at rest now. In a flash, she took her hand out, mumbled an apology and went away. Artemis looked at her, his eyes full of regret. He regretted his impetuous decision of doing something he didn't even know was right or not. It just felt right to him, but he didn't know about her, and he had no right to do this without her permission. He stood at the door, frozen. In a single movement, he spoilt an otherwise magical night. "Why did I do this?" he mumbled.


	3. Love The Way You Lie

**_This chapter is mainly due to the song. I had the chapter on my mind, but the song just made it better. I just tweaked the lyrics a bit to suit this. Sorry for the characters going OOC, and thank you for the ones who appreciate. Read and Review!_**

_Try and touch me so I can scream at you not to touch me_  
_ Run out the room and I'll follow you like a lost puppy_  
_ Baby, without you I'm nothing, I'm so lost, hug me_

_Then tell me how evil I am, but that you'll always love me_  
_ Then after that, shove me, in the aftermath of the_  
_ Destructive path that we're on, two megalomaniacs but we_  
_ Know that no matter how many knives we put in each other's backs_  
_ That we'll have each other's backs, 'cause we're that lucky_

_Together, we can move mountains, let's not make mountains out of molehills,_  
_ You hurt me twice, yeah, but who's countin'?_  
_I may have hurt you three times, I'm startin' to lose count_  
_ But together, we'll live forever, we found the youth fountain_  
_ Our love is crazy, we're crazy, but I refuse counselling_

_This house is too huge, if you move out I'll burn all thirty thousand_  
_ Square feet of it to the ground, ain't nothing you can do about it_  
_ 'Cause with you I'm in my D'Arviting mind, without you I'm out it_

"I spoilt it all; I wonder if she will ever come back. Annabeth, don't leave me like this. Please," he said, tears coming up in his eyes. She was the key to all his locked doors, and he threw her away. Disgusted with himself, he went to the garden, sitting down in the midst of all the greenery, mind reeling, face wet. Unnoticed, tears went down his face, eyes turning red. He ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what to do next. Apologise, or simply look away? Then he did something completely uncharacteristic.

**_He ran._**

Annabeth stood in her room at Fowl Manor, tears trailing down her face. She had a perfect night going on, and then Artemis took her hand. Afraid she would lose control, she simply ran away from him. Why did she do that? After all, she wanted that, and it happened, but still she repelled him as if she hated him. She looked out of her window, eyes taking in the scene. The place was deserted except for Holly under a tree, and something moving with amazing speed through the grounds into the woods. Fearing the worst, she quickly went around all the rooms in the house, checking every possible place someone could be. Artemis was nowhere to be found. She took the keys of his Audi and then drove to the place where he found Holly, where he was most likely to be found.

Artemis was running off to the meadow where he first found Holly. The meadow was clear and Artemis out of his mind. He stopped at the tree, then put a hand on the trunk, and after taking a few deep breaths, broke down. His mind was spiralling out of control; he had similar episodes earlier too, but this was too much for him. He was angry and upset with the fact that he couldn't remember what he wanted to, and every time he tried, a barrier came up. His head throbbed with the pain of forgetting and he was far too frustrated. Today he ran all the way to this place; usually he took his Audi. When he looked around, there was no one around, but a voice broke in, making him livid, as if he already wasn't enough angry.

"What are you doing here?" Annabeth asked him, her voice part-relieved, part-angry and part-scared.

"None of your business," he said, voice controlled.

"It is. You just cant leave like this. And running?" she asked him.

"Yes. I can run. And how does it concern you whether I go running or by car? How does it concern that I leave at all?"

"It does. I'm your caretaker; a friend. I need to make sure you don't do anything wrong."

"My D'Arviting caretaker."

"What is wrong with you?" she asked. He never behaved like this.

"What is wrong with me? Everything. Bloody D'Arviting everything. I'm not supposed to be alive, but I am. I'm supposed to remember, but I don't. I want to know, but I can't. And then you ask what's wrong? D'Arvit, everything is wrong!" he ranted, scaring her.

"Calm down. Please."

"Really? And how will that help me?"

"We can work this out."

"And how?"

"You need to be close to me to know me."

"How?"

"What do you mean by how?"

"You'll never let me come close. I tried, and today you pushed me away. Metaphorically. Tomorrow it will be emotionally, then verbally and then physically. We'll come to the literal meaning of the word. We will never come close." That was true; she pushed him away.

"I won't do that. I won't go away."

"What surety do I have?" he asked, now close to his old self. She decided it was best to forget he forgot and calm him down the unorthodox way. She drew close and kissed him passionately, surprising him. What surprised him more was that he returned to her, like this was something he relished.

"I'll always be back for this. For all that you gave me till now; even for the pain of your death. I'll be back for this selfish teenage criminal mastermind, but for that, he will have to come back to me. He will have to do what I tell him to; he will listen to each and ever word I say, and follow what he sees correct. He will correct me, retort back, tell me what is wrong, even throw sarcastic comments at me when I'm at fault, but he will become what he was. This is what he was before he died; he will be Artemis Fowl II, the one I loved to insanity," she said. It was pouring and the two were wet to the bone. Artemis looked at her with confusion, relief and anger.

"What did you say?" he asked, partially breathless due to the kiss.

"I did cherish your presence, you just have to learn how," she said, hand on his cheek.

"No; you said you loved me. Is that true?" he asked.

"Not the way you think," she replied. She didn't want him to know how much.

"You-you don't?" he stuttered.

"No, Artemis, it's not-"

"You don't. All of that, a lie. A lie."

"What?"

"My memories. A lie, that's what they are. A freaking lie."

"Memories?"

"Yes; I have memories of us sitting in my room, you with your head on me, sleeping. And you call that a lie?"

"Artemis, it's not."

"Then what is?"

"Your memory is harmed and fragmented. I don't remember when that happened," she said, lying. She wanted to wait and tell him all, but only when they were close enough to discuss this. She didn't think they were. "You have to wait."

"You're lying. You know it happened; I see it in these grey eyes. Why don't you wish to tell me. No, no," he said, running his hands through his hair.

"What? Artemis, tell me!"

"You found someone else."

"What? Found someone else? For what?"

"You moved on. And I haven't. I haven't, but you did. Glad to see that," he said with a sneer.

"Are you crazy?!" she asked him, livid. How dare he doubt her?

"I'm not. If you did, then why did you run away from me? Do you hate me?"

"I don't. And what nonsense are you sprouting?"

"I'm saying that what is true."

"Who told you that?"

"No one."

"Then you have no right to make assumptions."

"I'm not making assumptions. If you loved me, then you wouldn't run away from me. There's someone who stops you. Who is he?" he asked her.

"**_IT'S NO ONE, ARTEMIS_**!"

"Then why are doing this?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "I really don't know," she said, crying.

"Then let me help you," he said, hand under her chin, lifting her face up, and, putting his arms around her, said, "Let me," then kissed her, an unspoken pain going through the two. They reached a silent agreement on how to help the other. He would help her put him back, and she would let him put her back. He drove home, the two silent during the entire ride. The time they reached home, the house was in pandemonium.

"Annabeth, Artemis!" Holly said on seeing them, rushing to hug the two. "What is this?"

"He had a little breakdown," Annabeth calmly said, and nodding to Artemis, left. He quietly went up to his room and changed into dry clothes, then went off to sleep.


	4. Enslaved

During the coming days, Annabeth and Artemis were often seen together, bent over work and 'repair'. This continued for the coming three months, when a fight broke out.

"Artemis Alexander Fowl, don't you dare speak to me like that!" she yelled.

"And don't you dare order me around like that, Annabeth Anastasia Cromwell!" he retorted back.

"Oh really, who's the one helping out?"

"I don't need your D'Arviting help."

"Fine. I'm leaving," she said, and, taking her works and things along with her, she left. After a few hours, Artemis, who had calmed down, left for Cromwell Manor, face penitent for his actions. He knocked on the door, which was opened by her bodyguard, Juliet Butler.

"Artemis, you?" she asked Artemis.

"Where is Annabeth?" he asked.

"Her room, but-" Artemis already was rushing up the staircase. He knocked on the door and was taken in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Sorry. For all the screaming and yelling. I should've remembered how much you dislike Justin Maxwell." he replied.

"Wait, you said Justin Maxwell?"

"Yes."

"You, you remember now."

"Yes. All those three months have come back."

"Well, sorry from my side too. I shouldn't have said that, but look, on the bright side, you have your memory back." A few moments later, Artemis drew closer, Annabeth not at all objecting, like he was invisible. She wanted him to do so. The look on her face forced him to.

"Sorry," he murmured and putting an arm around her, kissed her. The action had become natural to him now. He often tried to control himself, but Annabeth made him break it deliberately from her side. Now he forgot what restraint was, and Juliet wondered what was happening upstairs. She skipped up the steps, and saw something she thought was something that would never happen ever again. Annabeth was back with him again.

"It's alright," she told him after he was done kissing her. "If this is the way I get you back, I don't mind," she said and kissed him. Artemis felt no matter how unconventional it seemed, this method was the best way to get his memory back. They fought, discussed, cried, kissed, worked, discovered; they lived again. Artemis had a grand project up his sleeve for the year's Nobel. After all, press announcements had been made regarding his 'coming' back. The press was fed the story of the scion's kidnapping and they lapped it up wholeheartedly. After all, what better time could the Mafia get to exact their revenge? "You have to go home. It's late."

"Very well. I'm leaving, but I'll come tomorrow."

"You have to. Till we're done." He walked out, getting in the car. A few minutes later, he stood by the window, staring out into the darkness.

"Till we're done. And that's going to be forever, Annabeth Cromwell. I'll never be done with you. I'm crazily in love with you, and I will never let anyone come in between," he murmured to himself. He was never going to let go. If he was an addict, he wanted to be one for life. If he was in love, then he wanted it to never lessen, forget end. If he was obsessed, the way a stalker was, he wanted to be the eternal stalker, the one she wanted and would continue to want. Annabeth Cromwell ruled his thoughts, his heart and his body. As for a mind, the two were so alike that every word by her seemed his own. She could make him come to her like a thrall would. One look could force him to speak to her, to kiss her, to do whatever she wanted him to do. Like he was enslaved.

This was the enslavement he forever wanted to be in.


End file.
